Transforming homelessness through skills, dignity & long-term life change
Greetings, my name is Dr. Rick Wadsworth, a self-funded, self-directed homeless advocate and educator in Salt Lake City. I have spent nearly a year doing “man-on-the-street” interviews with the homeless to ascertain their needs, learn their struggles, understand their culture, and figure out where the gaps exist in government policy. What I have discovered is that the symptoms of homelessness are being addressed (i.e. lack of food & shelter) instead of the causes of it (i.e. childhood trauma, family dysfunction, poor role-models, incarceration, inability to manage emotions, drug addiction, etc.). As a result, many are stuck at the bottom and the problem only getting worse.
This outreach has 3 audiences in mind—1) the public who needs to see the homeless with more accuracy—less fear—and increased compassion 2) the politicians who focus on resource-distribution instead of education that changes thinking & behaviors that are essential for long-term success and transformation and lastly, 3) the homeless who need to learn life-skills, emotion-regulation, holistic healing, self-compassion through trauma recovery work, 12-step principles, and strength-based counseling. Additionally, many need to learn how to make & keep goals, develop accountability, money-management, and for some, pro-social skills. *Trust and attachment issues go hand-in-hand with homelessness and should be considered as part of any future program development. This Psychology Today article mirrors my observations 100%.
All of us need to understand our divine worth & potential and how to connect with our Higher Power (as we understand him) and receive strength, drive, perspective, and ability to move ahead and succeed. This understanding—coupled with specific education and wrap-around services—is fundamental to change because it transcends basic needs and creates purpose and vision for living—for ifwe only feed the stomach and not the brain and the spirit, then we are effectively keeping people on insufferable life-support.
This site is a call-to-action to: 1) create public awareness 2) generate discussion 3) offer free educational skills to supplement current homeless practices 4) generate small & large dollar donations for supplies and to 5) locate a free venue to teach homeless classes in.
In order to fix homelessness, new channels of learning and insight must open up for all parties involved—the public, the politicians, and those living on the streets—and resources directed accordingly. Please join me in this critical venture to bless & save lives that are literally hanging in the balance because of freezing temperatures, violence, abuse, suicide and overdose. Keep reading & clicking and welcome aboard.
*This song—along with others on this site—contains a specific message:
